1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of incorporating a crimp-style connector onto a board, as well as the associated crimp-style connector.
2. Related Art
When a crimp-style connector provided with an insulated electrical wire is secured to a printed board, it is common that the electrical wire is first attached to a connector housing, and then the connector housing is secured to the printed board. This procedure of securing the crimp-style connector to the printed board will be described in detail as follows.
A crimp terminal is provided in each of a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers formed in a connector housing of the crimp-style connector. A crimp blade associated with the crimp terminal receives the insulated electrical wire of the terminal to establish electrical contact therebetween. Then, the connector housing, in which the electrical wires are crimp-connected, is attached onto a printed board. A male tab, which constitutes a fixing portion of each crimp terminal, protrudes onto a reverse side of the printed board and is soldered onto a pattern on the printed board. In this case, the pattern on the printed board is used as a contact point of soldering and the connector housing is secured to the printed board.
However, problems may be encountered in the above conventional method of securing or incorporating the crimp-style connector to the board, which will be described as follows. According to the above conventional method, after the insulated electrical wire has been attached to the connector housing, the connector housing is secured to the printed board. Therefore, for example, when the insulated electrical wire is used for a vehicle and the wire is relatively long and large in diameter, it is difficult to secure the connector housing, to which the electrical wire has already been attached, to the printed board. Further, when the connector housing is long, there is a possibility that the printed board may be badly warped. Therefore, the electrical connection of the wire to the printed board is not reliable. Further, when the electrical wire is attached to the connector housing after the connector housing has been secured to the printed board, there is a tendency that cracks will occur in the soldered portion between the connector housing and the printed board.